Team Obama Freaks Out New York City For Photo Op

Team Obama scares the daylights out of New York City with flyover stunt.

Traumatized New Yorkers ran through the streets:

A jumbo jet being chased by a F-16 fighter jets buzzed Lower Manhattan this morning, panicking New Yorkers, many of whom were forced to evacuate their office buildings.

It was not a terrorist attack, however, but a photo opportunity for Air Force One, sources told the Post.

President Obama was in Washington at the time, but the low-flying 747 circling the Statue of Liberty was one of the planes used as Air Force One, sources said.

The NYPD and the city were notified of the planned flight, but did not share that information with Mayor Bloomberg and other New Yorkers, many of whom said they were terrified.

Hours after the incident, a furious Bloomberg called the photo-op "insensitive."

"First thing is I'm annoyed - furious is a better word - that I wasn't told," he said. "Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center catastrophe defies imagination. Poor judgment would be a nice ways to phrase."

Bloomberg said federal officials notified the NYPD and another city official, whom he declined to identify, of the flight plan.

"Had I known about it I would have called them right away and asked them not to," he said. "The good news is it was nothing more than an ill considered, badly conceived, insensitive photo op - with the taxpayers' money."

Dominick Caglioti, who works at the Mercantile Exchange, thought the worst as he saw the jets hurtle toward his window just after 10:30 a.m. After learning it was all a photo op, he was furious.

"It's so stupid because they tell you about every fire drill, but they didn't tell us about this," he said.

The planes flew over the Verrazano Bridge, buzzed the left ear Lady Liberty and then continued up the Hudson past Jersey City and then circling back toward Staten Island, federal sources told the Post.

Thousands flooded the streets downtown as buildings called evacuations.

"There is situation outside. We don't have any further information," went one announcement at the Embassy Suites downtown.

After hearing it was all planned, many of those in the streets complained New Yorkers should have been warned.

"You don't do this to people down here after all we have been to," said Jillian Pizzarello, who also works at the Mercantile Exchange.

According to the Department of Defense, that Presidential Airlift Group began its aerial photography mission at Andrews Airforce Base.

"This mission, involving the VC-25 and an F-16, was conducted in conjunction with normally scheduled continuation training for assigned aircrew members," officials said.

nypost.com

A side by side photo shows exactly why many people were easily frightened by the event:

Left: Obama NYC Photo-Op; Right: September 11, 2001

Of course: Swine flu is all the evil GOP’s fault!

Well, it didn’t take long for partisan Democrats to blame the swine flu outbreak on the Republican Party.

Here’s the line: Since House Republicans all opposed the trillion-dollar-porkulus, which included funding for pandemic preparations, it’s all. Our. Fault.

No, really:

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year’s emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

Obey and other advocates for the spending argued, correctly, that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse — with workers ordered to remain in their homes, workplaces shuttered to avoid the spread of disease, transportation systems grinding to a halt and demand for emergency services and public health interventions skyrocketing. Indeed, they suggested, pandemic preparation was essential to any responsible plan for renewing the U.S. economy.

But former White House political czar Karl Rove and key congressional Republicans — led by Maine Senator Susan Collins — aggressively attacked the notion that there was a connection between pandemic preparation and economic recovery.

Now, as the World Health Organization says a deadly swine flu outbreak that apparently began in Mexico but has spread to the United States has the potential to develop into a pandemic, Obey’s attempt to secure the money seems eerily prescient.

And his partisan attacks on his efforts seem not just creepy, but dangerous.

So any natural disaster or bio-catastrophe that comes along, for which fiscal conservatives refused to support funding for in an economic recovery package, will now be all. Our. Fault.

And President Obama can once again invoke his time-tested alibi: He inherited the problem.

Don Surber properly calls this ploy what it is: A distraction.

“President Barack Obama has not yet chosen a surgeon general or the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His choice to run the Food and Drug Administration awaits confirmation,” Politico reported.

In all, 19 positions and the secretary are empty desks.

Maybe if Obama did something more than preen and pat himself on the back for his first 100 days in office, we would actually have a government that did more than just blame Republicans for all the troubles of the world.

***

Pssst. GOP-bashers, meet CHARLES “Flu pandemic funding = pork” SCHUMER.

michellemalkin.com

The President Betrayed By His Teleprompter Once Again

Leader of the free world, or American Idol?

He’s been called a rock star. His supporters were known as Obamabots; they were described as a cult-like group. Beyond campaign buzzwords and chants, they seemed unaware of their candidate’s agenda, and appeared to care little about the details.

Not much has changed.

As we approach the 100-day mark of his presidency, CNN reports that Barack Obama is more popular than his policies. Americans don’t always agree with what he has done over the last 100 days, or with what he proposes to do in the near future, but The Anointed One is personally popular.

The presidential election process is one we go through every four years: the primaries, the rallies, the speeches, the campaigns, the political conventions, the debates, the election, the transition (when necessary), and then the inauguration. At some point, we’ve turned this whole process into a popularity contest. Apparently, we are doing all of this just to (s)elect a somewhat attractive, nicely dressed, and smoothly spoken person (albeit inarticulate when occasionally speaking without his teleprompter) to grace every damned magazine cover on the newsstand.

Silly me, I always thought we were doing this to elect the leader of the free world! I had this notion that a candidate’s ideology actually mattered; that their stated views would be a fairly accurate barometer of the way they would govern, and that we should actually pay attention to what they are saying. I always believed that ideology is more significant than image when choosing a president; that it is much more important to support a candidate who more closely shares my political views on vital issues — even if they might not look as good on a magazine cover as their opponent with whom I have little in common.

Our priorities are way off. We’ve got the image and the magazine covers, but not enough of us care if the “change we can believe in” might be to change the United States of America from a superpower to a third world country in the next 100 days. As long our president looks good doing it, HOPE springs eternal! YES WE CAN!!!

To any Obama voter who prefers the man over his message, here’s a tip: if you want to vote for a rock star, American Idol will be on later tonight; knock yourself out. And please educate yourself before becoming involved with another campaign for President of the United States. We require much more for that job than Adam Lambert is qualified to handle.

nobamablog.wordpress.com

Fox sticking with schedule instead of Obama

NEW YORK – The Fox network is sticking with its regular schedule over President Barack Obama this week.

The network is turning down the president's request to show his prime-time news conference on Wednesday. The news conference marks Obama's 100th day in office. Instead of the president, Fox viewers will see an episode of the Tim Roth drama "Lie to Me."

It's the first time a broadcast network has refused Obama's request. This will be the third prime-time news conference in Obama's presidency. ABC, CBS and NBC are airing it.

Pork Flu

Drama at GE shareholders meeting

Attendees who spoke to THR said shareholders asked about 10 politically charged questions concerning MSNBC as well as one about CNBC.

First up was a woman asking about a reported meeting in which Immelt and NBC Uni CEO Jeff Zucker supposedly told top CNBC executives and talent to be less critical of President Obama and his policies.

Immelt acknowledged a meeting took place but said no one at CNBC was told what to say or not to say about politics.

During the woman's follow-up question, her microphone was apparently cut off. A short time later, Waters asked a question and his mic was cut, too.

"The crowd was very upset with MSNBC because of its leftward tilt," one attendee said. "Some former employees said they were embarrassed by it."

When he got the floor, Waters focused his question about MSNBC on Olbermann's interview of actress Janeane Garofalo, who likened conservatives to racists and spoke of "the limbic brain inside a right-winger."

"He (Waters) was complaining that Olbermann didn't bother to challenge her," another GE shareholder said.

Immelt told the assembled he takes a hands-off approach to what is reported on the company's news networks, which prompted a shareholder to criticize him for not managing NBC Uni more effectively.

TheHollywoodReporter

It’s hard to be objective when you’re crushing…

Featuring a shirtless Anointed One on the cover, “Our New Neighbor is Hot!” coos Washingtonian Magazine, as one of 26 reasons to love living in D.C.

Get that drool bucket ready.

nobamablog.wordpress.com

CNN’s cover-up and “fair use” abuse

Unhinged CNN reporter Susan Roesgen is on “vacation” after scrapping with Tea Party protesters last week, but her bosses are still hard at work trying to stifle Tea Party voices of dissent. As many of you know, CNN forced the takedown of behind-the-scenes video shot by Andrew Marcus of Founding Bloggers and posted to YouTube. Founding Bloggers has sent and published an open letter to the cable network requesting that the video (which has aired on other TV networks without retribution) be restored:

In short, we suspect that you are harassing us because our product was popular, because we are small, and because you can. We conclude, with some amusement, that your conduct tends to lend validity to the least flattering stereotypes associated with your organization. We live in the era of the internet – it is not so easy to silence people these days, as you will discover. In the final analysis, you will have become the butt of your own joke.

Should you prefer to avoid this fate, we will, of course, welcome the return of our production to its rightful spot – and the 3000+ viewer generated comment-opinions, both in support and in opposition, regarding it. Alternatively, should you prefer to continue on your current course of intimidation and censorship, we will endeavor to counter your actions.

In short, withdraw your fraudulent DMCA claim against our production, and instruct You Tube to restore the clip.

CNN is engaging in blatant abuse of the DMCA to stifle free speech under the guise of “fair use.” Been there, done that. Hot Air successfully fought off a bogus takedown from the bullies at Universal Music Group. I hope the Founding Bloggers do the same — and shame the censors at CNN for eternity.

Patterico recommends an “I am Spartacus” approach. Grab a copy of the forbidden video and post it yourself on YouTube. I’ve posted the video CNN doesn’t want you to see on my account, too:

Patterico also has more background on Susan Roesgen and her bogus reporting on the Jena 6.

michellemalkin.com

Another left-wing journalist bailed out by Obama

I can’t even keep count anymore, can you? Meet the newest left-wing journalist rescued from the ailing newspaper industry by the Obama administration: former LA Times columnist Rosa Brooks. She’s the daughter of liberal writer Barbara Ehrenreich and an acolyte of George Soros. And she’s working in the…Pentagon. Not a joke.

Nile Gardiner gives you the rundown:

In what has to be one of the most extreme appointments yet by the Obama Administration, ex-Los Angeles Times columnist and Georgetown law professor Rosa Brooks has just been made an adviser to Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michelle Fluornoy - a move Brooks describes as “my personal government bailout.”

Bailout is certainly the right word for someone who appears to have no relevant national security qualifications for the position. She does though have experience working as Special Counsel for George Soros’s Open Society Institute in New York, and as a former adviser to Harold Koh, the hugely controversial nominee for Legal Adviser to the State Department.

Brooks’ new boss Fluornoy holds one of the most powerful posts in the Pentagon, and is already playing a key role in shaping the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan as well as the wider war against al-Qaeda. She will also be a central figure in shaping U.S.-UK defence cooperation and Washington’s policy towards NATO. As an adviser to Fluornoy, Brooks will wield an extraordinary degree of influence in helping shape U.S. policy. Her extreme views should therefore be closely scrutinized.

Brooks’ description of the previous occupant of the White House as “our torturer in chief” is hard to square with President Obama’s call for bipartisanship. Nor is her ludicrous comparison of the Bush Administration’s legal arguments on the war on terror with Adolf Hitler’s use of political propaganda.

She has also accused civilian White House and Pentagon officials from the last administration of being “eager to embrace the values normally exemplified by military juntas,” while urging “military personnel to speak out, regardless of the cost, when they think our civilian leaders have gone beyond the pale” - little more than an open-ended call for the politicization of the armed forces.

Rowan Scarborough at Human Events has more:

Some in the Pentagon, normally a conservative and patriotic enclave, are reacting with alarm at Brooks’ appointment. One Gates staffer told Human Events that Brooks is an “extremist.” The source emphasized she was Flournoy’s appointment, not Gates’. “Gates did not hire her,” the official said.

“Any time you have people with extreme views on the right or left it makes people nervous here,” said a senior official.

In response to a query from Human Events, the Defense Department provided Brooks’ job description. She is a “principal adviser” to Flournoy to “develop cross regional planning.” In other words, Brooks will help shape the Pentagon’s relations with foreign governments and militaries.

Later, the department amended her job description. “Ms. Brooks was hired as a Special Advisor to the USDP to address a range of issues of interest to the Undersecretary, including speechwriting and special projects,” the statement said.

michellemalkin.com

Tea Party protesters get results in Rhode Island

It’s not just about protesting in the streets. It’s about demanding accountability from your government at all levels — and getting it. In Woonsocket, RI, Tea Party activists swarmed the City Council and stopped massive new supplemental tax hikes to bail out the public school district. The tax measure, which had been expected to pass 6-1, went down by a 4-3 vote (hat tip - Granite Grok):

Faced with a heavy outpouring of opposition from property owners, the City Council last night narrowly defeated a supplemental tax bill to wipe out a School Department deficit of $3.7 million.

The vote paves the way for the School Committee to file a lawsuit against the city under the Caruolo Act, a move advocates of the supplemental tax bill contend will only deepen the School Department’s — and the city’s — financial problems. Caruolo gives school departments the power to file suit in Superior Court to compel their municipal counterparts to provide revenue to wipe out operating deficits, and the School Committee had vowed to vote in favor of such an action no later than tomorrow if the council balked at supplemental taxes.

After some five hours of discussion, at just about midnight, the council did just that, voting 4-3 against the measure…

…The measure would have given the city authority to hike all classes of taxes — residential, business and business equipment — about 10 percent. The average homeowner would have paid roughly an extra $231 this fiscal year.

Though the hike would have been about the same on small businesses percentage-wise, they would have paid significantly more since they are already taxed at a higher rate.

Before the vote, dozens of residents and business owners weighed in on the supplemental tax hike, many of them expressing anger and frustration at the fast-growing cost of local government. Some urged members of the City Council to find more spending cuts in order to avoid worsening the burden on property owners, while others challenged the council let the School Committee sue the city and fight the Caruolo Act in court – advice the council apparently took to heart.

“I challenge you to vote no to the supplemental tax,” said city resident Jim Hoyle. “We can’t afford it. Challenge the Caruolo Act. We feel like we’re being held hostage by the School Committee with this act.”

A local government official smugly dismissed the protests last week as “just noise,” according to Granite Grok.

The New Hampshire Democrat Party chief derided the protesters as an “unhinged mob.”

Politicians in both parties underestimate the Tea Party movement at their own peril.

michellemalkin.com

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